Origins of Tintin: The Coal Conspiracy
by SkyDragon2996
Summary: In this exclusive episode of The Origins of Tintin, a mysterious coal shortage is leaving local towns without power. Tintin calls upon his friends Malina Ravenwod and Enzo Zuppino to figure out why this is happening. Little Miwa tags along, making the task difficult. But this mission is not safe for a little girl. Will they need help, or can they solve this coal mystery alone?
1. A sudden blackout

The sky has beginning to give way to nightfall as the sky began to change its color from a bright blue to a hazy yet slightly light shade of pink. Tintin watched as the sun slowly disappear beneath the clouds. "Tintin!" a voice called out. Tintin slowly forgot about his sudden revelry in the sun and went downstairs to the foyer at Marlinspike Hall.

"Tintin, my boy!" Captain Haddock said as he greeted his friend and former adventure sidekick. "You daydreamin' about the sun again?" "Sorry I'm late," Tintin said. "Where are Miwa, Meimei, and Benton's kids?" "In the main hall," Haddock said. "Those wee landlubbers kept asking and asking when you're going to play with them soon." "I'll go right now," Tintin said while holding Snowy in his arms. "Thanks for watching them."

"Brother dear!" Benton said as his slightly-younger-than-he-is twin brother came into the main hall. Tintin smiled as he saw Miwa and Meimei playing a ball game with their baby brother Ming Shen. Matthew and Heidi were both coloring pictures with crayons. As Tintin picked up the baby and sat cross-legged by the the chiar Benton sat in, Lucille happened to walk in. "Well, there's my babysitting brother-in-law," she said, eyeing Tintin with the baby. "Hi Lucille," Tintin said. "Anything new yet?" "Nothing yet," Lucille said. "But sometime, I'll keep you posted."

"Guys, quiet down!" Benton exclaimed. "The Le Petit Vingtieme radio program's about to begin!" Tintinedged closer as Benton turned up the radio. "...and now for the 4 o'clock news," a tinny, almost static man's voice said. "Details have just circulated of strange disappearances of brand-new coal shipments at the docks of Belgium. Nobody knows why the coal deliveries have suddenly vanished. In other news, people have just reported mysterious power outages in the streets of everywhere are ensuring that everybody remains in their homes until this situation is..."

Before the radio program could finish its last statement, the lights suddenly went out. "What the...?" Tintin wondered as the lamp automatically flickered off. Little Ming Shen began to cry. "No no no baby, don't cry," Tintin said, rocking the baby in an effort to comfort him. "I'm scared," Heidi said, hugging Matthew. Miwa and Meimei stopped their game and began to look around.

"Well!" Benton said, surveying his surroundings. "Now there's something you don't see every day." "But how did the power go out?" Lucille said. "I don't get it." Finally getting the baby to calm down, Tintin stood up. "Something must be wrong with faulty wiring in here." "TINTIN!" Captain Haddock shouted from the foyer. "What is it, Captain?" Tintin said. "Thunderin' typhoons, what is going on in here?!" the Captain was already beginning to rant. "I was just talking to Nestor and mindin' my own business when BOOM! The lights just turned off!" "Whoa slow down, Captain," Tintin said. "There's got to be a reason why the power went out."

Suddenly, Benton came out to see if Tintin was still in one piece. "Brother, what's going on?" he asked. "Everything's fine," Tintin said. "The Captain's just raving at me again because the power is out." "Lad, is there anything we're gonna do?" Haddock asked. "We can't just sit here on our butts and think this through."

"Right," Tintin said. "Let's go and see why the power got out in the first place."

As soon as they were outside, Tintin and Benton checked the coal box that was used to make the power in the estate run efficiently. "I don't understand," Benton said. "I just checked the col box this morning and it was running just fine."

"It must be the faulty wiring in this joint," Tintin said. "But...disappearing coal? Now there's a mystery." "A mystery?" Benton asked. "Correct," Tintin said. "And you're gonna go and see what it is?" Benton asked again. "I can't," Tintin said. "I got to look after the kids. Besides, what with these little girls, they really need a lot of attention. After all, exploring the shipment docks requires the mind and expertise of a sailor and mechanic." "Who's the ideal person for that?" Benton said. Tintin smiled.

"Hey, Ginger Boy," Malina greeted Tintin as she and her friend Enzo Zuppino arrived at Marlinspike Hall. "What do you want?" "You see, the power went out, and they said that nobody knows why," Tintin said. "Hey I got the same problem too!" Malina said. "The power went off at my house too!" "Same here," Enzo said.

"Yea, but people said the new coal shipments have stopped coming," Benton said. "Maybe that's what everybody else is thinking!" "Of course," Tintin said, "but we don't have that kind of knowledge to understand this situation. So that's why we called you two. To see why there's no single piece of coal left in this town."

Malina pondered Tintin's notion, then came up with an idea. "Tintin," she said, "that idea sounds just too crazy enough to work. But if there's a coal mystery to be solved, then count me in!" "Me too!" Enzo said. "If there's gonna be a coal mystery, then let's go solve a coal mystery!" "Okay, but first things first," Tintin said. "You guys need to track down the coal shipments in order to find out where the missing coal's gone. That's means you both need to go down to the shipyards for that." "You can count on us," Malina said.

As they both left, Haddock approached Tintin and asked, "You're making those two go find out the coal mystery? Why don't you go with them too?" "Because I have to look after the kids," Tintin said. "Besides, Malina's a great friend and partner in adventure. What could possibly go wrong?"

To be continued...


	2. Disappearance and discovery

The sky had turned a hazy shell-pink as Malina and Enzo drove their van up to the docks of Brussels. As they made a quick stop by the sheds that received each new coal shipments every day. They began to notice mysterious trucks arriving at the docks. "Those must be the trucks receiving the coal," Malina whispered.

"You think?" Enzo said as he caught a closer look at the trucks. "I smell something fishy here." "You mean those empty wrappers from all those fish sandwiches you eat almost every day?" Malina asked. "No, not that!" Enzo said. "I mean, there's something I do not trust about those trucks. We oughta go and see what they're doing with the coal shipments." Malina and Enzo then got out and began to approach the trucks.

"Let's go and beat them to a lifeless pulp!" Malina said, already advancing toward the trucks with her fists ready. "Whoa whoa whoa Ravenwood," Enzo said, stopping her. "We can't just go in there and fight them. We just have to stay down and hide." "Where?" Malina asked. "Right there!" Enzo said, pointing to the pile of coal. "We'll hide in here!" The two then buried themselves inside the coal in order to conduct their stakeout.

Meanwhile, back at Marlinspike Hall, the temperature was rapidly dropping. The halls began to get chilly. Without enough coal to fuel the power box and rewire the electricity, the estate became no more than a large refrigerator.

"Thunderin' typhoons! It's getting colder than a ship's dock on a cold January morning!" Captain Haddock said, shuddering. Tintin, who was wearing a blanket over him like a shawl and holding baby Ming Shen, said to him, "I know. But Benton said we got to make the most of this evening." "How? Without no heat, we're sure to end up like frozen halibut!" Haddock exclaimed. "If you'll excuse me, I must go and check on the kids," Tintin said, exiting the room.

In the foyer, Tintin found Benton placing wood on a fireplace. "Ben dear, what are you doing?" he asked. "Making a fire the traditional way," Benton said. "I can't let my kids die of hypothermia here." Matthew and Heidi both saw the blazing fire and immediately ran towards it. "I sure hope all the kids are here," Lucille said. "Of course they're here!" Tintin said. "There's Matthew, Heidi, baby Ming Shen, Meimei, and..."

"Miwa?" Tintin said. "Miwa, are you over here?" "Where is my sister?" Meimei asked. "I don't know," Benton said. "Where could she have gone?" Lucille said. In a panic, Tintin began to run through the halls, searching for Miwa. Even Captain Haddock was wondering why Tintin was in such an excited state. After ten minutes of searching the entire estate, Tintin screamed, "MIWA!"

At the docks, Malina and Enzo popped up out of the coal pile and began the stakeout. Soon, they noticed a group of thugs at the loading docks. "What are those thugs up to now?" Malina whispered.

"All right, mates," one of the gang members said, "a new shipment of coal has just arrived. And we've made it all 'ere to make sure every blitherin' house in all of Brussels never gets their new coal shipments!" "Aye, and with our fiendishly clever plan perfectly set into place, we'll be rich!" one of the ringleaders said. They all uttered a low laugh of sinister pleasure.

"So that's what they're planning to do with all the missing coal shipments!" Enzo said. "They're just trying to rob us clean of our precious coal and make more money for themselves instead of keeping every house up and running!" Malina concluded. "All we gotta do is catch those guys, turn them in, and return the coal to everybody!" Enzo said. And suddenly...

"Did you just kick me?" Malina asked. "No, my foot never touched you," Enso said. "Then who was kicking me?" Malina asked. "Ouch! Now something just grabbed my butt!" Enzo screamed. "Yipe! Now it's gotten my pants!" Malina exclaimed.

Suddenly, the two heard a faint giggling noise. And judging by its high-pitched tone, they guessed it was a little girl giggling. It came from beneath the rock pile. Gently, Malina and Enzo sifted through the coal pile, taking each piece out one by one. They then gasped in shock when they found...

"Miwa!" Enzo hissed as soon as Miwa's head popped up among the dust and coal bits. "What do you think you're doing here?!" "When can we play?" Miwa asked with joy. "We can't play right now!" Malina said. "Why did you sneak out of Marlinspike Hall?! You're not supposed to be out here!" "I...I just wanted to play," Miwa said guiltily. "Then why didn't you play with Tintin?" Enzo asked. "Because the power went out," Miwa said. "Speaking of Tintin," Malina said, "I wonder what that ginger boy's doing right now."

Meanwhile, Tintin was already having a nervous breakdown. "Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!" Tintin screamed in a panicked tone. "What am I gonna do? Lida is so going to kill me when she finds out I lost one of her daughters!" "Relax brother," Benton said, rubbing Tintin's shoulder. "I'm sure the police will find little Miwa." "But at what cost?!" Tintin said, gripping his brother by the shoulders. "I have never lost a child before, and this is how you calm me down?! I AM LITERALLY FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!" Lucille approached Tintin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tintin, just relax," Lucille said. "Miwa will be okay. We'll just call the police and file a report." "Okay," Tintin said, with tears in his eyes. "I just hope Miwa isn't lost. Or hurt. Or cold. I just want her to be safe."


	3. An unhappy welcome

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness," Enzo began to mutter repeatedly as he paced around Miwa, whose bright pink dress was covered in soot. "What are we gonna do-what are gonna do?!" "You tell me!" Malina exclaimed. "You actually like Tintin a lot, and you know how he feels when he loses a child. He's gonna kill both of us!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down," Enzo said. "You're scaring Miwa." Malina took a second glance and stared at Miwa. "I am so sorry, honey," Malina said. "I just can't seem to control myself. Why did you get out of the estate?" "Tintin couldn't play with me," Miwa said apologetically. "I want adventure." "Well, we have to focus on getting you back home, safe and sound," Malina said. "Meanwhile, we gotta figure out where the missing coal is going."

"It's true, pie," Enzo said, hugging Miwa. "Once we capture those thugs, we'll call the police to arrest them, and they can take you back home. Speaking of home, I wonder how Tintin's dealing with this..."

Meanwhile, back at Marlinspike Hall, Captain Haddock burst into the main room, his face reddened with anger. "Benton," he fumed, "when are you going to ask that wee landlubber brother of yours to calm down? I passed by the kitchen, and I heard loud sobbin' in there! Go talk to that brother of yours!" Benton, who was seated on the floor and wearing a bathrobe, was playing with Matthew, Heidi, Meimei, and Ming Shen. "Okay okay, I'll go talk to him," Benton said, getting up. I'll go talk to him. But I doubt he'd be the first to throw a punch at me."

In the kitchen, Tintin was seated at the table, his face buried in his arms, and sobbing in loud, broken sobs. Nestor then noticed Tintin's fit of emotion and strolled over to him. "Would you like anything, sir?" Nestor had asked. Tintin then waved his hand at Nestor, attempting to shoo him away. "Go away," Tintin mumbled. "I will prepare some nice hot tea personally for you, sir," Nestor remarked, then simply walked away.

"Tintin," Lucille said, approaching Tintin, "you need to relax. I haven't seen you eat or drink in hours. You're gonna kill yourself if you keep up with this moodiness." "I don't care!" Tintin shouted in a mix of anger and sadness. "I lost Miwa, and I won't stop till I find out where she is!"

As Benton approached the kitchen, he found Lucille standing near the entrance. "Good luck talking to him," Lucille told Benton. "I've tried. He still won't stop moping about Miwa." As Benton entered the kitchen, he found Tintin banging his head on the table. "Here is your tea, sir," Nestor told Tintin ,placing a cup on the table beside him. "Hey Tintin," Benton said, patting his brother's shoulder. "What's wrong? Talk to me. Just talk to me." "I don't want anything bad happening to Miwa," Tintin sniffled. "You know how hard it is to lose one child? I don't want this to happen. It's just nothing but bad karma." "Hey, she'll be fine," Benton said. "I'm sure of it."

Back at the docks, Malina and Enzo slowly maneuvered through the empty docks, with Miwa trailing behind them. "Stay close now," Enzo whispered. "Stay close." He gently hugged Miwa so that she wouldn't get lost. "Now how on earth would a little girl this age be able to sneak past the world's greatest reporter and wind up here?" Malina wondered.

Enzo was too busy to listen to her. He was busy figuring out where those thugs were heading with the truck loads of coal. "God help us," he whispered. "I'm tired," Miwa said sadly. "My little feet hurt." It was true, for Miwa's legs had already gone sore. Though he found it hard to accept the fact that he had a child with him now, Enzo simply picked her up and carried her.

During the long trudge to the warehouse, Enzo made sure that Miwa stayed as close to him as possible. He was scared too, because he now had to support a child on his own.

Soon, the trio had finally arrived at the unsuspecting warehouse. "This is it," Malina whispered. "We're gonna do this fast and quietly so that nobody will hear us." "Good idea," Enzo said. "Let's just sneak in and find out what they're up to." Of course, they had to take Miwa along, because there was no way that they'd leave her alone.

Once they were inside, they went to snoop on the thugs that were behind the mysterious coal heist. "Tonight's the night, boys!" the head of the gangs said. "We're bound to make boatloads of loot with all this coal in stock!" "So, what's the plan, boss?" one of the thugs asked. "That'll be easy!" the leader said to him. "We just keep waitin' for the next ship full of coal to arrive. We'll make sure that nobody gets their daily coal ration and live without power. There'll be massive blackouts all over town. We're gonna be rich! Rich!" There was loud hooting after his speech. Their tone suddenly changed until...

"You!" the leader of the gang exclaimed once he found Miwa tumble into the room. Miwa was scared at such a sight like this. "What're you doin' out here, little girl?!" the thug demanded angrily. "Go away from me!" Miwa said, now beginning to cry. "Aww, does the wittle girly miss her mommy?" the thugs began taunting Miwa now. "Why don't run home to your mommy and play with your wittle dollies and toys and candy and...?"

That was when Malina made her move. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" Malina screamed as she came to Miwa's rescue and beat the thugs to a pulp. Enzo then came and scooped up Miwa in his arms and carried her out to safety. Enzo, a little help over here!" Malina exclaimed as she felt the thugs closing in on her. Enzo then put Miwa down safely and assisted Malina.

It was a long and painful battle. Many times Malina and Enzo punched the men, and many times did Malina and Enzo get hurt. It was tough for them to keep up. Then, they realized a child was alone outside. As they ran off, the head of the gang shouted, "You haven't seen the last of us! You will pay for this! You will!"

Malina and Enzo finally made it out of the warehouse toward a safe spot for them to breathe. Enzo noticed Miwa shivering in his arms and sobbing quietly. "Hey, kid," Enzo said, shaking Miwa from her fit of fear. "Don't feel so sad, we saved you from those bad guys." But Miwa was still crying. "Those meanies made fun of me," Miwa sobbed. "I want my mommy!" "Shh, it's all right, it's all right," Malina said, consoling her. "Don't worry," Enzo said to her. "Once we capture those bad guys, we'll take you back to your mommy, okay?" Miwa instantly felt better soon after.


	4. A hunger to find Miwa

"Brussels Police Station. How may we help you?"

"Hello? This is Tintin, the reporter."

"What seems to be the problem?"

"I want to file a report for a serious emergency."

"What's your emergency? Is it a hit-and-run, a missing person, report of vandalism, theft, or murder?"

"A missing person report."

"Who is the person, to be exact?"

"She's a little girl."

"What is her name?"

"Miwa Chi-Wattanasombong."

"Age?"

"Ten years old."

"Height and weight?"

"She's a three-foot two, and weighs 90 pounds."

"Hair color?"

"Black."

"Eye color?"

"Hazel."

"What was the last thing you saw her wearing today?"

"She wore a pink dress, and she wore her hair in a ponytail."

"Well sir, I don't know if we can help you out since the power is out at the station, but we have now contacted Interpol and they are already on the case. We'll try to do everything we can to bring this little girl back to you, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Officer."

"You're welcome. You have a good night."

"Why did you have to do that, landlubber?" Captain Haddock asked Tintin as soon as he hung up the phone. "I've never seen you this upset about losin' a child." "Captain, you don't know what it's like to lose somebody," Tintin said, with tears welling up in his eyes. "Besides, finding her may be my only chance."

Tintin walked to the main room, shuffling his feet in a depressed manner. Snowy wondered why his friend was acting this way. Running after Tintin, Snowy yapped in order to get his attention. But Tintin didn't even bother to listen to Snowy's barking. All he could ever think of was little Miwa.

As Tintin walked into the living room, little Heidi and Matthew raced up to him with pieces of paper in their hands. "Look Uncle Tintin!" Heidi exclaimed. "Look at what me and Matthew drew!" "Yea yea, I'll look at it later," Tintin muttered. Heidi and Matthew wondered why he was acting so strange lately.

Tintin sat down at the fireplace, wrapping a blanket around him and staring listlessly into the fire. Benton came by, holding Ming Shen in his arms. "Hey," Benton said. "You okay, brother?" "Do I look okay to you?" Tintin said. "I just can't get over this loss. I don't know if I might be the same person again. Maybe I might just stay in depression for the rest of this night."

Tintin's stomach growled loudly. "Your belly must obviously be hungry," Benton smirked. "And I might probably starve myself to depression as well," Tintin mumbled. "Don't tell me," Lucille said, walking into the room. "Tintin forgot how depressed he became and got really hungry." "Lucy, why don't you go into the kitchen and get some food for Tintin?" "Okay," Lucille said as she walked out. Even Benton had a much softer edge than his tenacity.

Meanwhile, back at the docks, Malina and Enzo had spent the whole evening trudging away from the goons that had harassed Miwa earlier. Now Miwa was holding Enzo's hand as they walked. And it was beginning to drop a steady temperature.

"Enzo, I'm cold," Miwa said. Enzo stared at her for a minute, then he slowly took off his green sweater, and was fortunate enough to be wearing a long-sleeved teal wool shirt underneath. "Just hang in there, kid," Enzo said as he put the sweater on Miwa and began to carry her. "How long till we get to their other hideout?" Malina said. "At this speed, I'd say about a few hours more," Enzo said. "Hours?!" Malina exclaimed. "The whole city'll be pitch black at that time!"

Shivering in Enzo's sweater, Miwa tugged on Enzo's cap. "What is it?" Enzo asked. "I'm hungry," Miwa whimpered. "Malina," Enzo said. "What?" Malina asked. "Is there anything in your knapsack that Miwa could eat?" Enzo asked. Peering into her knapsack, Malina told him, "All I got is three sandwiches, canned milk, and what good'll that do?" "Those might probably help," Enzo said. "We'll rest for a minute, then we'll continue."

After starting a small fire at the edge of the courtyard, Malina heated the milk while Enzo sat with Miwa and handed her the sandwich. "What's in this sandwich?" Miwa asked. "My specialty," Malina said. "It's shredded steak, Stilton cheese, and to top it, spaghetti!" "Yummy!" Miwa exclaimed, chewing happily. "Enzo thought this would also be the perfect time to get to know Miwa better. "So Miwa," he asked, "your family is Thai and Korean?" "Yes," Miwa said. "And you guys eat any kind of Thai or Korean food?" Enzo asked. "Most of the time," Miwa said. "Mommy can make kimchi, and my daddy likes Thai noodles, too. But Mommy learned to make food here in Belgium." "Wow," Enzo said as he bit into his sandwich. "I sort of expected you to be all Asian in your household." Miwa laughed when he said this. "You're funny," Miwa said. "But I like you." She then rested her head on Enzo's lap. For the first time ever, Enzo was beginning to like Miwa.

Back at Marlinspike Hall, Tintin held his head in agony, so ashamed that his depression and hunger was now giving him a headache. The telephone rang. Tintin went up, picked up the phone, and asked, "Hello?" "Hi, it's Alyssa," the voice said. "I just called to see how you're doing." "I'm doing so well," Tintin muttered. "Just hanging out with Ben's kids here at the estate." His stomach rumbled loudly again.

"What was that?" Alyssa asked over the phone. "It's not what you think," Tintin said. "Let me guess: that was your stomach growling?" Alyssa guessed. "How did you know?" Tintin asked, turning bright red. "Oh, I heard it over the phone," Alyssa said. "I never knew your stomach sounded louder than a machine gun." Tintin was red in the face. "What happened?" Alyssa asked. "I...I..." Tintin groped for the right words, but he could not bring himself to tell Alyssa that he lost Miwa. Gulping, Tintin finally said, "Nothing. I'm okay." "Okay. Tell Benton I said hi," Alyssa said. Then, she hung up.

Lucille then came in with a plate of food and set in on the table. "Brownies!" Matthew exclaimed as he and Heidi reached for the brownies. "Hey, save some for me!" Benton called after he kids. Lucille, meanwhile, set a bowl of soup before Tintin. "Come on Tintin," she said. "You really have to eat something." "I'm not hungry," Tintin mumbled.

"Brother, just eat some soup, please," Benton said. "I can still hear your stomach growling." "Not gonna happen," Tintin retorted. Benton then snatched up a brownie and waved it in front of Tintin's face. "Look brother," he said, trying to arouse him. "Your favorite snack. You know you want it." Not even a simple chocolate brownie was enough to snap Tintin out of his depression. "Okay well, it's your loss," Benton said, and then he ate up the brownie. He picked up another brownie and passed by Tintin. "Whoops," Benton muttered as he falsely dropped the brownie on the table where Tintin sat.

As Benton sat down to play with his children, Tintin stared as Meimei played peek-a-boo with Ming Shen. He almost cried when he heard the baby giggle as Meimei waved her hands at him happily. To Tintin, this was yet another constant yet haunting reminder of how he always played peek-a-boo with Meimei and...Miwa. A single tear ran down Tintin's cheek as he hastily turned away from the little spectacle. Staring at the bowl of soup and the brownie before him, all Tintin would ever think of was Miwa. Then, he simply picked up the spoon and began to eat his soup in a dead silence.


	5. Pain and regret

"Enzo! Wake up!"

"Huh?" Enzo rubbed his eyes as Malina faced him. He had been sleeping for far too long on the cold wooden bench, with Miwa safely tucked under his sweater and sleeping by his side. "How long have we been here?" he said. "Five minutes," Malina said. "It's barely ten o'clock." "Ten o'clock?!" Enzo shouted. "Did we wait that long?" "Apparently, it hasn't been long," Malina said.

Miwa suddenly awoke. "Enzo, you shout loud," Miwa said, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Enzo said apologetically. "I never knew you were still asleep." "Come on guys, we gotta go," Malina said. "If we catch up to those crooks, we can still deliver the missing coal back." "Good point," Enzo said. "Come Miwa, let's go." Scooping up Miwa, Enzo and Malina then continued their walk.

Back at Marlinspike Hall, Tintin was lying on his stomach and numbly playing around with Miwa's dolls. He was still depressed over Miwa's disappearance. "Good to see that the landlubber finally ate his dinner," Captain Haddock told Benton. "I agree," Benton said. "He would have died of hunger just trying to remember Miwa." "Boy, when you lose a child like that and you don't eat, you're not human," Haddock remarked.

Lucille walked into the foyer with a plate of brownies and found Tintin fumbling around with Miwa's toys. "I brought you some brownies, Tintin," Lucille said, "in case you get hungry again." "But I thought you said me and Benton were punished to one brownie per week," Tintin mumbled. "I know," Lucille said, "but I just can't stand seeing you in this condition. I know you're scared that Miwa may be in danger, but you can't blame yourself. You can't let your depression get the best of..."

"Don't you understand?!" Tintin suddenly exploded, tears streaming down his face. "Miwa is more than just a kid! She's got a big heart! And she has an adventurous spirit that I never saw in her! You don't think I can let that go? I don't want her to be harmed!" Lucille was too stunned to speak.

"Oh my gosh, I...I'm...so sorry..." Tintin suddenly lost control and buried his face in Lucille's coat, sobbing loudly and painfully. "I just want Miwa back!" Benton noticed his little brother crying and gently caressed his back. "It's okay, brother," Benton said gingerly. "I'm scared too. But the police will find her and bring her back to you. I'm sure of it." Though he was always there to comfort Tintin in his time of need, Benton was afraid to even hear his brother sobbing like a baby. Now Benton began to lose his own strength and could not help but cry too.

"Thunderin' typhoons!" Captain Haddock yelled out as he burst into the room. "What on earth is all that loud racket...?" He suddenly stiffened as soon as he saw Benton and Tintin both sobbing simultaneously. "Oh, I'm sorry," Haddock apologized. "Is this a bad time?" Lucille had Tintin and Benton sit on the couch and she watched in horror as the two men sobbed. "I guess Miwa really did mean something to them after all," Lucille muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, at the police station, the Thompsons were busy lighting every candle in each office at Interpol. But the wind blowing in from the open windows only made it seem impossible to even keep every candle lit.

"Thompson, I think you've forgotten to light that candle!" Thomson yelled out when he saw one candle flicker out. "Really Thomson!" Thompson exclaimed angrily. "You've made me turn off another candle! Now how will I keep the other candles on?!" The two bumbling detectives were so busy arguing that they did not notice one policeman enter the office. "Thompson! And Thomson!" the policeman said. "The station needs you right now!"

"Are we needed on assignment?" Thompson asked the officer. "To be precise," Thomson asked, "do we have an assignment?" "Yes," the police man said. "A few hours ago, I received a telephone call from somebody. "And who was this person, to be exact?" Thompson asked.

"Apparently, it was that reporter, Tintin," the policeman replied. "It was that young chap Tintin, eh?" Thomson had asked. "Yes, it was," the policeman answered. "He called to file a report for a missing person. He was missing a little girl, I think her name was Miwa, perhaps?" "The missing person was that little damsel Miwa?" Thompson asked. "To be precise, it appears that Miwa IS the missing person!" Thomson concurred.

"Well, there's something else, too," the policeman said. "It appears that someone else has decided to tell us about some sort of coal theft going on at the docks in Brussels. Do you think you guys can investigate that while you find the little girl?" the policeman asked. "Precisely!" the Thompsons replied simultaneously, heading out the door. "Wait, you two!" the policeman called before them. "Watch out for the..." He then found the Thompsons crash into the supply closet and fall to the ground, covered in police hats, coats, and billy clubs. It was going to be a hard night.

"Did you have to make the call?" Malina asked after Enzo hung up the phone in the phone booth. "I know that Miwa here wants to be here with us on an aventure," Enzo said, caressing Miwa, "but we have to get her back home, safe and sound." "But that'll take like, what? Two, three hours? We'll have to wait," Malina said. "Does that mean they'll take me back to Mommy?" Miwa asked. "Yes Miwa!" Enzo said, grabbing her shoulders. "Yes, they will take you to your mommy!"

The telephone at Marlinspike Hall rang loudly. "I'll get it!" Lucille said, lunging for the phone cord. "No no, I got it," Tintin said, grabbing the extension. Speaking to the phone, he answered, "H-hello?" "Hi Tintin, it's me, Linda," the voice in the phone said. Tintin froze. It hurt him to hear Linda's voice. What if she knows about that horrible secret Tintin was harboring from her?

"Oh hi, Linda," Tintin said weakly. "What's up?" "I was calling to see how my kids are," Linda said. "How are they?" "Good. Just hanging out here at the Captain's place," Tintin replied. "And what about Miwa?" Linda asked. "Is she okay?" Tintin felt a slimy ball hit him in the pit of his stomach. How was he supposed to tell her? "Uh yea, she's fine," Tintin muttered. "Could you pass me on to her, please?" Linda asked.

Tintin gulped. He didn't know what to say to her! Should he just calm down and tell her the truth? Or lay down the gauntlet and lie to her? "Uh no, Miwa can't come talk to you right now," Tintin answered. "No? Then where is she?" Linda asked. "She's...uh, taking a nap right now," Tintin lied, trying to make light of things. "Oh, okay," Linda said. "Well, Veerasak and I will be over there in a few hours to pick up our kids, okay? Bye." "Bye," Tintin muttered, slowly hanging up the phone.

Benton slowly approached Tintin, who was shuddering crazily. "What in the world just happened?" "I can't believe I did that," Tintin said sadly. "I just lied to Linda about Miwa. Now she's never going to trust me to watch her kids ever again." "But you take care of us too, don't you?" Heidi said, hugging Tintin. "You're a great person," Matthew said, also hugging Tintin. "Nobody else can take you away from us, Mr. Tintin," Meimei said, also hugging Tintin. Ming Shen, who was riding Lucille's arms, simply giggled and said, "Ba-blah." Tintin suddenly felt a warmth inside of him. He felt instantly better. Embracing the children with tears in his eyes, he whispered, "I'm never letting you go."


	6. Victory and returning home

As the three friends continued walking, Malina still could not shake off the feeling that the disappearing coal mystery becoming more and more foggier by the minute. How else could this mystery unveil itself? Her answer was still uncertain.

"Miwa, do you like playing princess?" Enzo had asked Miwa. "If Tintin is with me, we play princess all the time," Miwa answered. This struck Enzo as so confusing. "Wait...you make Tintin play princess with you?" Enzo asked. "But he's a boy." "But you've never seen him in a princess crown," Miwa said. "Mommy says he looks fabulous with a princess crown." "I have to afmit, Tintin has told me all about your guys' antics," Enzo said. "He tells me that wearing tutus with tights can really flex your leg muscles on the..."

Malina paused. "Guys, look!" she said, pointing to a truck that stopped by a sidewalk. The driver came out and talked to one of the thugs. "And where will all this go to?" he asked. "The one place where we'll get it all," the thug replied. Malina suddenly realized where all the missing coal was heading. "They're heading for the quarry!" she whispered.

Soon after the two men headed into the truck, the trio raced to the open rear compartment. It was packed full with coal. "What a haul!" Enzo said, astonished. "So this must be all the coal that was stolen. The nerve of those maniacs!" They suddenly felt the truck moving, so the three friends piled inside, concealed by the coal.

While the friends rode in the truck to the local quarry, police cars were now heading toward the same direction as the truck was. But apparently, since they were so late in rounding up every single sergeant, they were coming late.

"I say Thompson," Thomson told his partner as they drove behind the trail, "leaving the town without power is some cold situation." "Precisely," Thompson said. "Can you imagine the look on the people's faces when they realize their homes are left with no power?" The two detectives laughed harmoniously. But their revelry was cut short after they realized they were about to hit an oak tree. Just like that, they had to wait for a police van to come pick them up.

Hours later, the truck had arrived at the quarry. The two drivers then got off, whereas Malina, Enzo, and Miwa stayed inside the rear compartment. "Okay, this is it," Malina said. "Let's get this done fast." "Right," Enzo said. "It takes a thief to catch a thief. Ain't that right, Miwa?"

But Miwa was nowhere to be found...again! "Miwa?" Enzo said, sifting through the pile of coal. "Miwa!" "She got away from you again?!" Malina asked. "But she can't just disappear like that! Unless..." Enzo made a horrifying discovery. "Unless...one of those guys kidnapped her!" he exclaimed. "Quick! We gotta save her!" They quickly got off the truck and proceeded to sneak into the quarry unnoticed.

Soon, the two quietly made their way to the quarry, careful not to be seen by the thugs, or they would get caught. Sneaking past huge barrels and large crates, Enzo sighed. "Two disappearances," Enzo said. "Hmm?" Malina said. "Counting her sneaking out of Marlinspike Hall, and just right now," Enzo said. "But where on earth could she have...?"

Suddenly, he heard a girl's scream. "Miwa!" Enzo said. The two friends ran toward the source of the scream. Soon, they found themselves right at the center of the loading dock. The thugs began closing in on them as they shrank in solid fear. Enzo let out a cry of fright when he saw one of the thugs grabbing Miwa by the shoulders. Miwa was bound and gagged; her mouth was taped shut, and her hands were tied. The tape covered her shrill yells.

"Well well well," the leader of the gang said, "looks like you two have joined the party." "What are you doing with all that coal?" Enzo yelled. "That's none of your business!" the leader exclaimed. "There is no way you'll ever defeat us!" Miwa struggled to break free, but the thug holding her slapped her cheek. "If you so much as lay your filthy hands on Miwa, I swear I will kill you!" Enzo shrieked angrily.

Chuckling, the leader strolled over to Malina and Enzo, saying, "What do we have here? A sailor boy and a pretty little damsel in distress." Malina felt his cold fingers stroking his hair, and through gritted teeth, she said, "I am not a damsel, I'm a woman." "Fighting, are we? Well, we'll see when your flimsy, ladylike personality gets the best of you!" This angered Malina even more. "I AM NOT A LADY!" Malina shrieked, kicking the man in the groin.

"So I see!" the man said, doubling over in pain. "How about a little deal? You give me the gun, and I'll give your little girl back. Are we good on that?" "Okay, but no tricks!" Enzo said, with a gun in his hands. "But give me Miwa first!" "First, the gun," the man said, gesturing to him. Enzo slowly put the gun down and faced the thugs. "Now, give me Miwa," he said. The thug thrust Miwa to him, and Enzo hugged her tightly. "Now," Malina told the thug, "turn that truck around, and return the stolen coal back."

"Of course, I will," the thug boss told her as he approached the truck. "But me and my shipmates have just decided..." "Decided what?" Malina asked suspiciously. "That you and your little friends are of no use to me at all, and that we will kill you," the man said, gesturing to the heavily armed thugs. "You're welcome."

Soon, the men charged toward the friends, who all split up in different directions. Five of the thugs chased after Malina, then they cornered her by a freighter. Lucky for her, Malina was a quick thinker and a master of on-the-spot butt kicking! In a fury of flying fists, Malina beat the men senseless.

On the other hand, Enzo quickly took Miwa to a quiet part of the docks, where he quickly untied Miwa's hands and removed the tape from her mouth. "I'm scared," Miwa said. "You'll be fine," Enzo said. But his answer cut short when the gang began closing in on them. Miwa was the first to react, beating up the other thugs. "That's for bullying me!" Miwa said to one thug while punching him in the nose. "And that's for being mean to my mommy!" she exclaimed after slapping the other thug's bottom, which caused him to howl in pain. "Good job Miwa!" Enzo said while doing his part in punching the other guys' faces.

However, their fighting didn't last that long.

Soon, the three friends were tied to a pole stuck on the bottom of a wood platform, which was being wheeled toward the ocean. "There's nothing you can do!" the thug boss said. "With all that coal, we're gonna be rich! Rich! And you three will be left to rot in the deep end!" He cackled maniacally as they thugs wheeled the platform to the edge. "Well, I guess this is how it ends," Enzo said. "It was a pleasure serving you," Malina said, closing her eyes. But soon...

"Looks like we caught 'em red-handed," the police sergeant said as he and his crew pulled up from every direction! "Oh joy! We're saved!" Enzo shouted excitedly. "Cops! You came just in time!" Malina said. "W-What?! That's not possible!" the thug boss yelled angrily. "Well apparently, Malina here called to report stolen property," the sergeant said while Malina nodded in agreement.

"And check this out!" a policeman said, opening the truck compartment. "This was all the coal that was supposed to be delivered to the whole town!" "Precisely," a familiar voice said. It was the Thompsons! They had come up to investigate the scene of the crime as well! "Sir, please let me go! I have rights!" the thug boss told the sergeant. "Yea yea yea, give it a rest, will ya?" the officer said, handcuffing the thug. "I'm placing you all under arrest for theft of stolen property and accounts of illegal counterfeiting." Each and every policeman handcuffed the thugs one by one, and were hauled into a police van. "Take 'em away boys!" the sergeant commanded and the van drove off to the county jail.

Meanwhile, the police officers loaded their cars with the stolen coal deliveries and drove to the city to return each delivery to their rightful owners. The Thompsons then untied the three friends. "Now what?" Malina said. "Well, there's no other choice but to return Miwa home," Enzo said. "Of course!" Thompson said. "Let's go in our car, shall we?" Thomson said. Everyone then piled into the car and drove home.

Back at Marlinspike Hall, Tintin was playing with the children while Benton sat by the fireplace, looking after Ming Shen. "You're really looking a lot better now," Benton said. "I guess I am," Tintin said. "But I still feel like something's..."

"Hey Tintin!" a voice called. Tintin rushed to the back door and opened it. It was Malina and Enzo! "You guys came back! And the coal?" Tintin asked. "Is it..." "They're delivering the coal right back," Enzo said. Suddenly, Tintin had a burning question to ask. "And Miwa?" Tintin whimpered. "Is she still...?" "Tintin! Tintin!" a voice said. Tintin turned and immediately ran toward Miwa, embracing her tightly. "Oh my gosh, Miwa!" Tintin exclaimed, with tears flooding from his eyes. "Oh...oh my goodness, I was so worried about you!" Turning to Malina and Enzo, he asked, "Is she okay? Tell me she's okay!" "She's perfectly fine," Enzo said.

"Good, good," Tintin said. Then he got up, walked up to Malina and Enzo, and angrily twisted their ears. "OW!" Malina and Enzo both screamed. "Then what were you two knuckleheads thinking?!" Tintin scolded. "Letting a child sneak out at night while she was completely unsupervised?! You guys oughta be ashamed of yourselves!" Walking to Miwa, Tintin began to scold her too. "And don't you ever, and I mean ever, run away from me again, young lady!" Tintin exclaimed. But Miwa understood and kept hugging him. "Oh, I'm sorry I scolded you," Tintin said more calmly, hugging Miwa. "I just love you so much."

The doorbell rang. "Mommy!" Miwa said, releasing her grasp and running to the foyer. "Mommy! Mommy!" "Miwa, my dear!" Veerasak exclaimed, picking up his daughter and hugging her. "Hi, my little girl," Linda said as she entered after her husband. "Hi Mommy," Meimei said as she hugged Linda. "Hello, dear,", Linda said. "So, how was the date?" Benton asked. "It was okay, until the power went out," Linda said. "So we improvised and had a lakeside dinner," Veerasak told them. "Sounds romantic," Lucille said. "How did the kids behave, Tintin?" Linda asked. "They were absolute angels," Tintin said, "even in the dark."

Soon, all of the missing coal was returned to ever home in Brussels, and the town was saved from a severe coal shortage that almost left the town with no power at all. Enzo had formed a string bond with Miwa. Malina was finally promoted to being the main security at the docks whenever she worked with Enzo and his sailor buddies. And Tintin's life was back to normal. Well, almost normal. On the next day, Veerasak found Tintin and Benton at the park one afternoon. After greeting them, he asked, "Tintin, how come I overheard Miwa talking to Meimei about coal trucks and action at the docks last night?" Tintin and Benton both looked at each other, laughed, and finally said, "You have no idea."


End file.
